Just Between Us Sisters, Okay?
by The Lupine Sojourner
Summary: A Fic-exchange of sorts with incredibly gifted, and amazingly talented, Littlebabyturtlelove. Go read their works, okay? They are literally AMAZING! I really can't stress that enough! WARNING: Angsty References to/Spoilers for The Invasion. Do NOT read if you haven't seen it!
1. Picking Up the Pieces

**OKAY! THIS IS A SORT OF CHARACTER STUDY. ISH. IT'S A FANFIC TRADE WITH THE AMAZINGLY TALENTED AUTHOR, _LITTLEBABYTURTLELOVE. _SERIOUSLY. READ HER WORKS. **

**ANYWAY...THIS IS FOR THAT AUTHOR, AS HE/SHE IS CURIOUS ABOUT MY OCS, AND WANTS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM. SO HERE THIS IS! THIS IS A QUCK SOMETHING I AM COOKING UP FOR HIM/HER. HOPE YOU ENJOY!**

**GOD BLESS AND GOOD DAY!**

**~LF221**

~Asami: age 10~ Lupa: age 5~

Asami was nearly in tears as she flopped down on her bed. She had failed the lesson with Master Splinter. He was trying to teach her how to use tonfa, but she just couldn't get it! No matter how hard she tried, nothing seemed to go right. Asami had the bruises to prove it. She kept hitting herself with the ends of the wooden weapons, which left purple, black and blue bruises all over her body, even though Splinter had padded the tonfa. Asami flung her arm over her eyes as the tears started to flow. Soon, the ten year old was sobbing, hiccuping slightly. She was oblivious to anything but her own sense of failure.

_It just wasn't fair! I gave it my best shot, but Dad still wants me to learn how to use those stupid tonfa. Ugh. _

Asami thought, not hearing her bedroom door open, or the sound of soft, furry feet, creeping nearer with each passing second. She only felt someone sit on the edge of her bed. Fearing Master Splinter was here to lecture her, Asami turned to place her back to the visitor.

"Oh, come _on_, sis. Is this any way to treat your favorite sissy?" A cheery, youthful, and generally happy voice chirped, and a small hand was shaking Asami's shoulders. Asami heaved a sigh, quickly wiping her eyes, and turned back to gaze at her sister. She had a small smirk.

"You do know that you are my _only _sister, right?" Asami quipped. Lupa chuckled.

"So that makes me your favorite, right?" Lupa retorted, wry grin plastered on her face like it would never go away. Asami shook her head.

"You are impossible." She scoffed. Lupa frowned, before flashing her sad sister a grin.

"So, why ya cryin'?" She asked. "It isn't because Raph ate all the cereal this morning, is it? Cus I told him to save some for you, and-" Asami sat up, causing Lupa to stutter to a stop.

"No, Lupa. It's just that...I can't seem to learn how to use those stupid tonfa!" she cried, resting her head on her up-drawn knees. Lupa giggled.

"Oh, come on, sis! You? Fail?" She asked, eyeridge raised in mild surprise.

"Yeah...I kept hitting myself, and the tonfa always slipped out of my hands. It was a disaster!" Lupa merely sat there. She blinked.

"Well...maybe that's because the tonfa aren't your weapon. Maybe you need another one." Lupa suggested innocently, shrugging casually. Asami blinked.

"Sis...you really think so?" She asked.

"Of course! Just ask To-san and I bet he'd let you try something else!" She chirped. Asami pulled her sister in for a hug.

"Thanks, sis." Asami muttered, feeling better already.

~ Another Thingy ~

~Asami: age twenty~Lupa: age fifteen~

Asami shuffled (actually, it was more of a stumble) into the upper-level bedroom of the farmhouse she had slept in for the past few nights wearily. It had been an exhausting day. First off, getting Leo into the bathtub, when he was unconscious. Don had told his siblings and April that the water would keep him hydrated, and help him heal faster. Asami had held off treatment of her own wounds until there was nothing else Donatello could possibly do for Leo. Of course, by now the wounds were slightly infected, but it thankfully wasn't serious. Nowadays, Asami meditated on her bedroom floor for the majority of the day, or she could be found, wandering the yard aimlessly with her forearm crutches Casey and Don had worked together to make for her. And when she wasn't doing either of those things, she could be found in the bathroom, gripping Leo's limp, clammy hand, and whispering to him. No one ever easedropped. Her conversations were _her _conversations. Until one night. She was meditating. Again. When in crept a figure, distinctly female, creeping ever nearer to Asami's still form on the floor at the foot of the bed. Asami sighed, and let her eyes open, to reveal Lupa, standing there, worried and concerned expression evident, even in the tiny amount of light from the hallway Lupa had just left to enter this room.

"Come with me." Lupa whispered. Asami blinked.

"What?" She asked, and Lupa suddenly gripped her sister's wrist, and heaved her onto her feet. Asami did nothing, except hiss in pain, to resist as she was led out to the wooden swing on the front lawn, under a small tree just big enough to hold the swing's (and it's occupants') weight. The girls shared a sigh as the cool wood, chilled by the bitter winds that day, worked to relieve them of any excess heat.

"Okay, I'll bite. Why am I out here?" Asami sighed after a moment, and relaxed further into the seat.

"What's been up with you lately?" Lupa asked. "You've been all depressed, and stuff...and I"m startin' to get worried. And it's not just me. Everyone else is, too-" Asami cut her sister off there.

"Lupa...I appreciate the concern, but I think you know what's up with me."

"If I did, I wouldn't be having this conversation." Lupa retorted.

"No. You do, you just wanna hear me say it, but I...can't, okay? I don't wanna talk about it right now, so just-"  
"Don't say 'leave me alone,' cus I won't. I'll stay right here until you get it off your chest." Lupa replied. Asami growled, standing and facing her sister head on, despite pain in her right knee.

"Fine! You wanna know what's wrong with me?! FINE! I'll tell you!" Asami cried, earning a whimper from Lupa, who hated it when people rose their voices around her. "Maybe I'm like this because I have just seen my _father _murdered by his arch-nemesis! Maybe I'm hiding my tears because my brother is in the bathtub, probably never to wake again! Maybe this depression is due to the fact that I-" Here, Asami suddenly grew ten times sadder, blinking rapidly in an attempt to get the tears back under control. "I...failed my family. They needed me, _you_ needed me, and I wasn't there for you. Because...I don't know how to fill the gap Splinter left. I don't know how to be the Kaa-san (Mother) you all need me to be. I-I'm just an...Ane (Big sister). And that depresses me. Seeing a problem, and not knowing how to ix it..." she trailed off, having run out of things to say. Lupa was left blinking for multiple seconds, before she slowly stood, and encased her sister in a hug.

"I-I'm sorry, Ami. I just...get worried, too, whenever I see a problem with any of my family. I, too, cry myself to sleep at night because I'm too depressed by this new situation, and...losing Sensei...was the worst kind of pain I have ever felt. It...tore me apart inside." Lupa sniffled piteously. "I just...wanted to know that I wasn't alone with this." Asami blinked once and gripped her sister tighter.

"Oh, Lu-Lu...you are _never_ alone, you hear me? I don't ever wanna hear that from your mouth ever again, K?" Lupa had to chuckle at that.

"Now you're starting to sound like a Kaa-san, rather than an Ane." She joked, tone teasing and light. Asami smirked, then let her legs collapse, resulting in a somewhat painful collapse to the ground. Both girls were laughing, and Asami forgot her previous worry, depression, and sadness for a moment.

"Let's go get some sleep now, and agree to never speak of this again." Asami ordered with false sternness, and Lupa stood, saluted stiffly before marching back into the house with a final chuckle.

Oh, it was good to have these moments, Asami realized, but they would never truly erase her grief. But that was alright. It was part of her now. But she had her family and friends, and that was enough for now. She still clung to the hope that Splinter was somehow alive, that somehow...she could still fix her broken family...maybe some day...

**HOPE YA LIKE IT, _LITTLEBABYTURTLELOVE_!**

**I KNOW IT'S A BIT MORE THAN YOU ASKED FOR, BUT I FELT THE URGE TO WRITE THIS. **

**AND FOR YOU OTHER READERS OUT THERE, CONSIDER THE SECOND SCENE A SORT OF PRELUDE TO THE PREMIERE FOR SEASON THREE...**

**GOD BLESS, AND GOOD DAY!**


	2. Aftermath

This...this should not have happened. This was all wrong...

What went wrong? How could this have happened, gone so wrong, so suddenly? I still can't believe it...I refuse to accept it.

I knew the alliance was temporary at best, but I never suspected that Saki would turn _as soon as_ Dad turned his back. The _instant_ Dad's focus was not on preventing the inevitable betrayal, the second the perfect opportunity arose...Saki didn't hesitate. He...he...stabbed my father. He...murdered him in cold blood, just like that. He knew the consequences, and yet...he still did it. He never even considered waiting. He saw his opportunity, and he took it. Pure and simple.

Of course, I went on the vicious offensive in return, managing several nasty gashes and cuts on Dad's murderer's flesh before the Black Hole grew too big. I was forced, or rather Leo dragged me away in time, to grab a bench and cling to it as we mourned Dad's passing. I watched his eyes close. I begged Dad not to let go, even as I felt him pass on. It wasn't like back when the Kraang took New York. Not at all. Back then, we only had a Kraang invasion to deal with. Dad was merely flushed away, beaten into unconsciousness, yes, but _alive_. There was such a high chance of his survival, looking back now, I'm shocked I had thought Dad dead all those months. But now...he was in a black hole. Sucked away to who knows where, if Earth was not destroyed in the transportation process. I fear it was.

Now...I watch Earth disappear into the void, along with...everyone I know, all my close friends, Leather-Head, and my sister, Miwa. Everyone...just...gone. In an instant. Only my siblings and those I view as something resembling siblings remain, stuck on this strange robot's ship. We, apparently, are 'going on a wondrous adventure'. Whatever that means.

Casey has the nerve to say it was awesome. No, it is most certainly _not_ awesome!

"How can you say that?! 'This is awesome'?!" I barked, rounding on my friend. "Seriously, Casey?! WHAT PART OF THIS IS _AWESOME?!_ THE EARTH BEING _DESTROYED?!_ DAD DYING?! BEING THE _ONLY_ SPECIMENS OF LIFEFORMS FROM EARTH LEFT IN THE UNIVERSE?!" Yes, I was livid with him. I was beyond livid. I was in grief, and he had the nerve to say that was all awesome?! No way I'm letting that slide. Casey looks nervous, backing away with his hands up in surrender. I don't accept it. I can't. "How is this awesome?! TELL ME!" I screeched, grabbing the front of Casey's grubby vigilante costume, ignoring the hands that tried to peel me away. How dare he brush aside this...this catastrophe, the deaths of over eight billion people like this?! All those innocents...they never had a warning, they never deserved this. How _dare_ Casey disregard that this easily?!

"Asami, stoppit!" Lupa and April cry, but it sounds as if they were on the other end of a long tunnel. I hardly even register their words.

Casey gulps. I scare him. Good. "Ami, I didn't mean it. We just...we all have our own ways of handling traumatic situations." I had slapped him full on the face before I knew it. I had had _enough_ of Casey's insensitivity and brash attempts at humor that only make the situation worse. _Much_ worse.

"This isn't _coping_!" I screeched, tears now leaking out and voice trembling. The robot just stood there, gazing between Casey and I, totally unsure of what to do. He seemed worried for Casey. Yeah. He should be. "This is you being totally insensitive, as _always_!" I growled, standing over him, quivering with the effort it took to not break down then and there and possibly attack him. "You are _always_ trying to lighten the mood with those _stupid_ jokes and _ridiculous_ lines?!" I was blinking rapidly now, my voice quickly losing venom. I swallowed. "Did it not occur to you that that was the _worst_ thing you could say?" That was hardly a whisper. I don't know why I reacted that way, but I pull myself together enough to make it to one of the small domed pits in the floor, finding a button that activates a canopy somehow, and staying in there, finally letting it all out. I hoped this thing was soundproof. I hated myself for letting my eyes drift from Saki for an instant. I hated Saki for being the twisted psycho he was, but I didn't hate Casey. He was just trying to lighten the mood. He was not intentionally adding salt to the wound and grinding it in. I had to remember that. He was not the bad guy. The Triceratons were the real enemy. If they hadn't brought in that Heart of Darkness, Dad would _never_ have even _considered_ teaming up with Saki. Never. But...the circumstances called for it, and it was effective, if not incredibly, predictably, short-lived. It was the single oddest moment of my life, working alongside mutants like Tiger-Claw and Rahzar to bring the Heart of Darkness down. I must admit, Tiger-Claw makes a _much_ better ally than enemy. At the very least, he had _some_ moral code. He knew he had to make this alliance was the only way to ensure his own survival. He even went out of his way to make certain we had a shot at deactivating the Heart of Darkness. Too bad he had to get sucked up, as well...

Saki did not have that same sense of honor and moral standing, dooming the child he so claimed to love, all for the sake of some stupid revenge scheme that resulted in his own destruction. Dad once told me 'bitterness is swallowing poison and expecting someone else to die'. That was how he had overcome his hatred for Shredder. His Christianity was also a source of liberation. How apropos that saying is for Shredder, although he was not the only one to die because he could not let go of the hate inside.

_Everyone_ on Earth was gone because of him. Because he couldn't...let...Dad...go. He couldn't just give up his hunt for revenge. He just couldn't. It was not in his nature. So warped and twisted by hatred and bitterness, he didn't see reason. He turned a blind eye to the Kraang invasion a year or more ago. It seems so long ago...but Saki withdrew into his lair, festering until the danger had passed, heedless of the fact that he most likely wold not survive the invasion and transformation of the planet, had the Kraang succeeded. It took a plead for Miwa's safety and security to get Saki to withhold this blades for as long as he had.

But in the end...his twisted nature and sick ways won over, and...he seized an opportunity. Nothing more, nothing less. Nothing mattered to him anymore, but that his revenge was complete. But in the end, he was the victim of his own venom, dying in his own stupidity.

I was finally able to get myself together enough to face my siblings and closest friends again.

"..." I couldn't say anything. I was still getting sucker punched by the aftermath. I broke down again. This was all too much, all too horrible. I couldn't deal with this. Not now...not for a while. After merely a few seconds, I was enveloped by several scaly arms, and I felt masks burrowing into my fur. I wrapped my arms around as many of my siblings as I could. We ended up in a pile on the floor, but no one moved. It gave us all some semblance of an anchor in this tidal wave of change we were faced with, to know and to touch the family we came so close to losing. The robot seemed to get that he had no place interfering and just let us be.

Wise decision.

"Come now, stop your crying..." Came Lupa's shaky and trembling vocals. I stiffened. I used to sing that to Lupa and the guys at night when they didn't want to sleep, or had had nightmares... "It'll be alright...Just take my hand, hold it tight...I will protect you-"

"From all around you...I will be here, don't you cry." I sang, somehow sitting up and hugging Raph, who had happened to be the first to hug me when I broke down, wiping my rather disgustingly runny nose into my catsuit sleeve. Then promptly broke down again. This repeated, breaking and attempting to pull ourselves together, several times. Then, when we were stable enough to talk and function, Leo stood, helping me to my feet. He turned to the robot in front of us.

"Alright Fugitoid, or whatever your name is, what just happened?!"


	3. Bonding

**SINCE _EVERYTHING_ THAT I'VE WRITTEN FOR THIS HAS BEEN TRAGIC AND HORRID, I'LL SEE ABOUT SOME GOOD OLE FASHIONED FAMILY FLUFF, KAY? AGAIN, THIS IS FOR AN AUTHOR BY THE NAME OF 'LITTLEBABYTURTLELOVE'. THEY ARE AMAZINGLY TALENTED, AND THEY HAVE AGREED TO INCLUDE MY OCS IN HER STORY, 'THE HAND'. PLEASE GO CHECK THEM OUT. THEY ARE FAR BETTER THAN I AM, REALLY. I AIN'T JUST SAYING THAT, EITHER! THEY REALLY ARE! ANYWAY, ENOUGH CHIT-CHAT. ON TO THE STORY! **

**~ONE SEPTIC MARKIPLITE**

Asami: 20, Lupa: 15

**Which Will it be?**

"Sis...that was...why wouldn't Dad want us to go up there?" Lupa breathed. I laughed. This reaction was to be expected, really.

"Lu-lu, not everyone is as accepting as April. They'd take us away and give us to the government to experiment on. They'd cut us open and kill us just to try and find out what makes us tick."I said, shrugging. It was the same lecture Dad had given us from an early age. Lupa predictably frowned.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yes, they would, Lupa." I replied. I had to make Lupa see sense. I gripped her shoulders gently and sat her down on the edge of the pit. She was caught up in the fantasy of not worrying about humans seeing us, because 'all humans could totally get used to us!'. "You don't know what humans are capable of. They won't refrain from _anything_ when it comes to studying. Obviously, Dad and I don't want that to happen to any of you. That's why Dad told you all to wait while before letting you guys up to the surface." I wanted to make absolutely certain that Lupa completely understood the danger of being topside, as well as the wonder and amazement that being careful up there afforded. "But now that you've been up there, you know what it's like, somewhat. But it's not always that calm. Sometimes...there are murderers and thieves that go out at night to steal, and kill. Dad just wanted to be sure you could handle any situation before releasing you five onto the world. That's all, sis. That's why he held you all back." Lupa, by now, had a frown. It seemed that she was internally rolling her eyes. I straitened slightly and gave her a serious look. "I mean it, Lu-lu! If there were any other reason, Dad would have told you guys!" I was suddenly hugged.

"I know, Ane!" She giggled. "It's fine. I get it. I really do. I heard your talk with Dad right before you went up to the surface for the first time. It was that time you met Dao, and all that...hehe. I know you wanted to take us, never thought we wouldn't go, too, but that wasn't an option. But you made due with a couple pictures and stories." She sighed. "You even asked if we wanted to see them before showing us." I decided to mix in a bit more humor.

"What have I told you about eavesdropping, young lady?" I said with mock severity, bopping her nose a few times. Lupa laughed.

"Sorry! You weren't hiding it, and I happened to be passing by on my way to my room, so...I heard." I ruffled her hair.

"I know, sis. I'm just yanking your tail." Lupa's tail was suddenly stick-straight.

"Donchu touch my tail, Ane!" She growled playfully. I smiled. She always found the sensation of having her tail yanked...ticklish. Really? How she does that...I don't know. I smirked devilishly, cocking a brow.

"Oh, really?"

"Really!" I reached over suddenly, and tickled up her side.

"I can still make you laugh." She wriggled away, but I grabbed her and proceeded to start tickling her.

"NO! ANE! STTTOOPPP! P-P-PLEASE!" I scoffed, shaking my head as I continued the tickling.

"Which would you rather? Tickling or having your tail yanked?" I asked wickedly. Lupa wriggled, breathless with laughter.

"N-n-neither!" She squeaked. I grinned wickedly, releasing her.

"That's right." I had taught her well.

=#=#=#=#=

Asami: 5, Lupa: 1 month or so

**Come Now, Stop Your Crying...**

I could barely hear the start of the fussing, which meant Dad would hear it soon if I didn't move to stop it. I'd always picked up on sounds a few seconds before Dad, somehow. It was probably just that he was always a bit tired, so I raced as silently as possible out to the main bedroom. The tree was only a sapling, still, But Daddy says it should grow just fine. Healthy and strong. I found Sissy in her crib, starting to cry, judging by her telltale wet fur. I pick her up, and she cooes happily. I take her out to the pit, so Daddy wouldn't hear, as I wipe her tears away. Daddy needed sleep.

"Hush, Sissy. We don't want Daddy to hear us, do we?" She just smiled and reached for my hair. I tugged it out of her way, tucking it behind my ear. She wriggled, trying to get to the ground from my lap. "Oh, no. you gotta stay here." I whispered. "Stay with Sissy, kay?" I then thought of a song I'd remembered from Tarzan. I started rocking Lupa. "Come, stop your crying. It'll be alright..." She stopped wriggling and just stared at me. Which was good because that meant she wasn't gonna wake Daddy. And we didn't wanna wake Daddy, do we? I smiled. "Just take my hand...hold it tight..." I hugged her a little tighter as her eyelids drooped slightly. "I will protect you from...all around you. I will be here...don't you cry." I kept singing until I couldn't remember the words, I was so tired. I was about to fall asleep, so I started just humming to Sissy. She was almost asleep, I know it. So was I. I kept up the humming, because I needed Sissy to go to sleep...too tired...when did my eyes get so droopy? Why can't...zzz

=#=#=#=#=

Asami: 20, Lupa: 15

**Family Comes in Many Forms**

Lupa hadn't come down from her loft.

That was not good. She was usually the most social social butterfly, vying for the title with Mikey. But after today...who could blame her? I swung up, landing silently on her landing. Coming in, I found her laying on her bed, earbuds in her ears, eyes glued to her screen. I walked a little closer, and saw that it was Jacksepticeye. Reading Your Comments, by the looks of it. I sat beside her, and put an earbud in casually. She'd done it to me plenty of times. She sighed, pausing the video, pulling out her earbud and sitting up. I gave her a small smile. Her eyes fell, as did her head.

"...Did you know?" She whispered. "Before Sensei told us?" I sighed.

"Not until...Karai kidnapped Leo." I confessed. "Dad told Leo and I because we pushed him to.. He didn't feel the time was right for the explosion that would come from revealing Karai's real identity. He wasn't able to handle it then. That's why he waited." Lupa growled under his breath.

"What's the big deal about not trusting us?!" She snapped. "First, Leo couldn't trust us with the fact that he'd met Karai before, and then Dad..." That did it. I would not stand for Lupa thinking Dad couldn't trust his children. That was so far from the truth. I gripped her shoulders tightly, but not uncomfortably. She looked me square in the eye. My face mirrored my seriousness. Lupa frowned at me, hurt in her eyes. I intended to fix that.

"Dad wasn't able to tell you guys. He knew how you all would react! That was why he waited. He was working through it on his own! He had to wait until he could process it himself before telling anyone else!" I chided sternly. "It was never about how much Dad trusted you. In fact, he told me once that he wanted to tell you all, but just...not yet. Not yet. Dad couldn't handle it yet, and he felt he had to be able to cope with it by himself before revealing the truth about Karai and witnessing your reactions." I sighed heavily. "It was a big blow. I don't think you understand..." I started crying then, the effects hitting me again. "What it's like...feeling the grief and sorrow for someone, and then to learn that not only are they alive and well, but...but they...are thinking your the enemy. You have no idea how difficult it was..." I sniffled, only to be hugged. Lupa was shaking, as well.

"Sis...I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry." I hugged back.

"You're fine. You know nothing can dampen my love for you, right?" I asked, pleading with her to understand. "I love you no matter what." Lupa nodded.  
"I love you, too, even when you are a bit of a butt." I smirked.

"Ditto." she lightly punched my arm.

"When am I ever a butt?"

"Right now! You punched me for no reason!" I said over dramatically. Lu-lu scoffed.

"You're fine." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm gonna get some cottage cheese. Want some?"

"Nah, you go ahead. Don't like the stuff, anyway." I headed down, and sure enough, within a minute, we were all watching SRMFF together. Everyone was coping with the news in their own ways, but we were doing it together. That's what's important.

Nothing would ever change the fact that we were a family, even when it expands a bit.

**THERE YAH GO! I DON'T KNOW WHY I CAN'T NOT WRITE HURT/COMFORT STUFF. ANGTSY, DRAMATIC SCENES SEEM TO ATTRACT ME TOO MUCH TO RESIST. THEY'RE FUN TO WRITE. HOPE YOU CAN PUT UP WITH THEM. ANYWAY, HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT, LITTLEBABYTURTLELOVE! **


	4. Fluff Practice

**KR, THIS IS COMPLETELY BECAUSE YOU MENTIONED THAT I SHOULD WRITE ABOUT ASAMI HANDLING BABIES, SO...THIS HAPPENED. HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY! ALSO, I WANTED TO TRY AND STICK PURELY TO FAMILY FLUFF, AND SKIP THE ANGST AND DRAMA STUFF. HOPE THIS ACTUALLY WORKS. *RUBS HANDS TOGETHER AND CRACKS KNUCKLES IN ANTICIPATION***

**GOD BLESS AND GOOD DAY!**

**~THE LUPINE SOJOURNER**

=#=#= First Words =#=#=

"Ow! Ow! Guys, that-_ow_!" I bark, praying the four turtles would just go to sleep soon. However, they were only interested in playing with my fur, my snout, and my ears. Suddenly, Lupa pressed her hands to my chest and gave my face excited lick. I threw everyone off and stood, wiping furiously with the back of my hand. "Gross, sis!" Lupa giggled. She pushed harder on my chest, leaping onto it when my back hit the floor and cuddling there. The boys soon joined her. For several moments, we were a pile of limbs, shells and tails.

"Issy." Lupa chirped. I gasped, leaning forward gleefully, accidentally spilling the turtles over the floor.

"Yeah, Lupa! Sissy. Can you say that again? Say 'sissy'!" She cocked her head at me, but Raph touched my wrist to get my attention.

"'mi. Shami." I beamed.

"Good job, Raph!" I congratulated, lightly giving him a noogie. He squirmed away just as Don tottered over, not to be outdone by his brother.

"Weo!" He cried, pointing at the eldest turtle, who was sitting where he'd landed, looking confused as to how he got there. I laughed, but then Mikey stumbled into my lap before I could say anything.

"Waphie bwuver." My eyes widened. Pride and love surged and I gather my little siblings close. They were absolutely amazing!

"Me, oo!" Leo cried, distraught at not being included in the group hug, practically diving into my embrace.

"Aw, Leo. Of course you're included." I sooth, gripping them all tightly, immensely fond of all my siblings. "To-san! They started talking!"

Walking came shortly thereafter. It took Lupa longer to get used to walking on two legs than I had thought, but with me holding her hands, the transition went fairly well.

=#=#= Swimming Lessons =#=#=

"No! No wanna sleep! Want sissy! _Sissy_!"

Lupa cried, squirming in her father's grip. Splinter sighed. There was just _no_ getting this girl to sleep. For the past three years, only Asami had managed to get the stubborn little wolf to sleep. He stood, holding the struggling Lupa firmly as he walked out to the pit, where the boys and their sister were watching some cartoon about a sponge in pants. They all groaned. They knew what dad's presence meant; bedtime. Asami grabbed the remote, and turned off the TV, and saw her little sister in her father's arms, and the silent plea for assistance in his eyes. Smiling, she went over, and took her dad's burden into her arms. She hugged Lupa to her chest and sat down on the couch, leaning her sister out a little and lifting her chin.

"Lupa, what's wrong? Aren't ya sleepy? Huh?"

"No sissy. Me no sleepy." However, a yawn betrays her. Asami leans forward conspiratorially.

"Well, if you don't sleep, you'll go _boom_!" This earned a frightened yelp, and a sudden cuddle against Asami's chest. Asami raised her sisters chin, and continued as if nothing had happened. "Tell ya what...if I scratch your back and read you a story, will you try to sleep, for sissy?"

"...Yes, sissy."

"Good girl. Now, let's go get ready for bed, okay?"

"Okay." There was another, longer yawn as Asami stood. Asami carried her suddenly exhausted sister to the family's shared bathroom. She sat Lupa down on the counter, and gently brushed her teeth, and carefully changed her into her Hello Kitty pajamas. Then, Asami sat down on her bed. She settled Lupa more comfortably in her lap, grabbed a story book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and started scratching Lupa's back, as promised. She also scratched a pressure point, right under her ear. After the story was done, Lupa was curled against her chest, sucking her thumb softly. Asami chuckled, wishing dearly that she had a camera. She got Lupa into her bed somehow without waking her up, then silently crept from the bedroom, to get ready for bed herself. She could faintly hear the lullabies her father was singing for his sons, coming from the hallway just outside the bedrooms as she grabbed the doorknob to her room. She laid down in her bed, and was soon asleep.

* * *

"Mornin sissy! Wake up time! Come on, come on sissy!"

"Okay, Lupa. Sissy up now. What's the matter?"

"Daddy say you need to get up, and get us breakfast."

"Alright. Just let me brush our teeth and get dressed, then sissy gonna make breakfast."

The eight year old muttered, dragging herself and Lupa into the bathroom. She brushed their teeth, and got them both dressed in around five minutes. She came out to the pit, and found her brothers sitting on the rim, their little legs dangling over the edge. All of them still had their baby blankets wrapped around their tiny shoulders, rubbing the sleep from their eyes. Asami smirked, and got a box of cereal out of the cabinet. She brought out a quart of milk from the refrigerator and within minutes, she had five places at the table. She poured glasses of milk, and sat everyone down. She looked at Leo suspiciously as they ate, just now noticing the missing family member.

"Leo...where's dad?"

"Um...He said he no feel well today. Sorry, Ami, but you watch us today."

Asami groaned inwardly. Of _course_ she would look after her siblings, but she had been looking forward to a little basic training with her dad today. Also, she had been meaning to ask Splinter if she and the kids could go dumpster diving later. Now, that wasn't a possibility. After breakfast, she had them all sitting in the pit, and read them a book, the Tortoise and the Hare. It was illustrated, so she had to stop every page to let her siblings look at the pictures. Their questions about the Hare seemed unending. She answered as best she could, but some questions, she just had to tell them to 'ask dad when he felt better'. Soon, they were bored with the book, and wanted to find a place to swim in the tunnels. The eldest wolf mutant agreed, as long as they all held onto a rope on the trip there and back, and no one wandered off. Slowly, they crept out into the sewers. The only time they were allowed in the tunnels was when Splinter and all the rest of the Hamatos went to collect whatever had been washed down the drain or dumpster dive. The six mutants soon found a good spot, and within seconds Asami was alone on the brim, holding the end to a rope that had no one clinging to it. Any warning she gave her siblings about the flooded tunnels due to a recent storm were lost in the kid's joyous cries and shouts, coupled with several almighty _splash_es. The boys were _turtles_, after all. They _loved_ the water. And Lupa genuinely enjoying spending time with her brothers. Asami, bored of playing lifeguard, was about to join in when she heard Leo's panicked cries.

"Mikey! No go dere! _Ami_!"

"What's wrong, Leo?" She asked, running up to the frightened little turtles, all facing down a tunnel that connected to the area they'd been swimming in.

"Mikey went down tunnel! I tell him no go, but he no listen!" Asami blanched, thinking quickly.

"Okay, Leo. I need you to stay here and watch your brothers and Lu-Lu. I _will_ get Mikey, but you need to make sure no one else is lost, okay?"

"Okay, Mi-mi." Leo said, blinking back tears as he turned back to his brothers. Asami ran down the tunnel, which was slightly flooded. Although it was only up to her abdomen, she knew that her siblings wouldn't be able to touch bottom. She progressed down the tunnel as fast as she could, trying to keep the 'what if's out of her head, but couldn't see her baby brother anywhere. At the end of the tunnel, she decided to look under water for Mikey. About four feet down the tunnel, Asami could see a figure, trapped under a metal pipe. She came up, drew breath, and went under again. She tried to lift the pipe, but it wouldn't budge. She took another breath and returned, straining and pulling, and it seemed to move a little. Her lungs started protesting, but she ignored it and kept trying to move the stubborn pipe. Finally, it moved enough for Asami to grab her brother, and return to the surface. She carried her coughing brother, coughing herself. She found her brothers and sister right where she had left them. They were huddled together, all holding the rope. She smiled, set Mikey down and took one end of it. "Alright guys. Who's ready to go home?"

She was met with five shouts of, "Me!"

When they got home, she toweled them off, and set them in front of the TV, while she made dinner. She brought out some toast and made eggs. She set the table, and called everyone in. She went out to the pit when they hadn't come in the time since calling them and setting the table.

"_Guys_! Dinnertime. Come on!"

"And what is for dinner, my child?" Came Splinter's voice, sounding slightly tired, but as strong as Asami had ever heard, from the entrance to the dojo.

"Daddy!" All six mutants cried, and Splinter found himself in a group hug.

"Its good to see you, too, my children. Sorry for making you care for your siblings all day, Asami, but I had a stomach virus and did not wish to infect you all."

"That's okay, dad. We weren't bored at all. Were we, guys?"

"No, Ami!" All five younger mutants agreed, smiling a little too widely. Splinter raised an eyebrow, wisely discerning that there was something the children were not telling him, but not really caring about the details, as long as they were safe. This new life was _different_, yes, but, at least, it was never _dull_.

=#=#= Haha (mother)? =#=#=

"Hey, Ami?" Leo asks suddenly as we lounge in the pit, reading. It had been his idea, and I got the suspicion he just didn't want me in the kitchen for some reason. I look up from my book without leaning it down. He's laying on his plastron, legs in the air.

"Yeah, Leo?" He flushes, swinging his legs nervously. He is adorable when he blushes. All my siblings are. "What is it, Leo?" I ask. He sighs and sits up, swallowing.

"It's...it's...well...uh...M...Mother's Day, right?" I bite my lip, sighing, trying to forget the aching sensation the memory would always give me. Our Mother's Day was more a memorial of Tang Shen then a celebration of a mother we didn't have.

"Yeah." Leo doesn't notice my darkened expression. After all, he's only six. "What about it?" I had a feeling...Leo ducked his head, playing with his fingers absently. Uh-oh...

"...We, uh...well, we just thought...that..." At this point, I can hear the others clattering in the kitchen, Raph arguing with Mikey and Lupa about ingredient measurements, with Don hissing at them to be quiet and correcting the measurements. I cock a brow at Leo, who clears his throat. "We thought that maybe, um, we co-could...um..." I sigh heavily in slight irritation. Whatever Leo had to say could not possibly be _that_ bad, right?

"Just spit it out, Leo. It'll be over with quicker, whatever it is." Leo groans.

"Okay, okay, okay. We...wanted to...give you a day off. You know, cus...you're almost a haha (mother) to us, an' all..." His voice was reluctant, hesitant. I flinch.

"L-Leo...you...you know I'm...I'm not your mother...right?" Leo sighs.

"Yeah, but...you're the closest thing we've ever had, an'...that's good enough for us." He says, suddenly beaming at me. I feel pricks at the corners of my eyes.

"Oh, Leo...You all are too cute...but...Tang Shen is your-would be your real mother, and...and I don't want to replace that...or whatever, and..." I then sigh at Leo's defeated posture. It's heartbreaking. "Leo...I really appreciate you're efforts. Honestly. I just...don't want to...oh, forget it." I sigh again, and brace for Leo's bear hug.

"Thanks, Ane (big sister)!" He squeals. I smile, a little sadly, and rub his head.

"No problem, Otōto (little brother)." I reply, and Leo releases me as the other mutants come from the kitchen, bearing a tray of breakfast for all of us. I smile. My siblings meant well, and soon enough, they would know the whole story about Father, Tang Shen and Oruko Saki...but not today.

"Haha no hi omedetō (Happy Mother's Day)!" They all called. I shake my head, chuckling at their enthusiasm. The pancakes, while only slightly burnt, were surprisingly good, complete with blueberries Dad and I had found in Central Park a few days ago. We all sit in the pit, laughing, chatting and joking, and (for the first time in years) Mother's Day is not as bad as it usually is.


End file.
